Major Water Main Break On Route 206 Updates

Updated as of 7:50 a.m. on Thursday

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Route 206 North now has one left lane open as of Thursday. Repairs will continue over the next three days after a water main break caused residents in the Somerville, Raritan, and Bridgewater areas to lose water.

"The water main break has been isolated, and repairs to the main are underway. Water service and pressure have been restored to the system, but customers in Bridgewater, Raritan Borough, and Somerville are still under an active Boil Water Advisory and should continue to boil their water before consumption," said New Jersey American Water.

Route 206 has been cleared of water and debris. Drivers are asked to continue to seek an alternate route.

"Our crews will work continuously to repair the main, but due to the size and complexity of the break, we expect repairs and restoration to take several days," said NJ American Water.

Water Boil Advisory

A mandatory water boil advisory remains in effect for customers residing in Bridgewater, Raritan Borough and Somerville due to a loss of pressure from a 36-inch water main break on Route 206 in Somerville, New Jersey American Water announced.

Effective immediately and until further notice, customers within the impacted areas are instructed to bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow cooling before using or use bottled water.

Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking; preparing foods; mixing baby formula, food, juices or drinks; washing vegetables and fruit; cooking; making ice; brushing teeth; and washing dishes until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

A potential or actual threat to the quality of water being provided to the above area
currently exists. As a precaution, we are implementing a limited Boil Water Advisory
until testing of the water supply is deemed satisfactory. New Jersey American Water will
provide information as to when the advisory is lifted.

New Jersey American Water also recommends the following steps:

• Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes if made with tap water during the day of the advisory.
• Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking.
• Do not swallow water while showering or bathing.
• Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water, most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms.
• Use only water that has been boiled (and cooled) to treat minor injuries.
• Rinse hand-washed dishes with a diluted bleach solution (one tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle.
• Upon boiling water for potable use, it is suggested that 2-3 gallons of boiled (and cooled) water be stored in the refrigerator in one gallon-containers for use in cooking, drinking, etc. Water can be stored in this manner for 2-3 days.
• Pets should be provided with drinking water that has been boiled (and cooled) in the manner indicated above.

Customers are asked to continue to boil water or use bottled water until they are notified that the water quality is satisfactory. This advisory will remain in effect until repairs are completed and testing shows the water quality to be safe.

Additionally, a conservation notice is also in effect for residential customers in these communities. Customers should refrain from outdoor irrigation and other nonessential outdoor water use, such as washing cars, until further notice. This is to help maximize pressure levels in the system during the repair.

Schools Update

"We have received notification from the Somerset County Office of Emergency Management regarding the status of water service affecting our buildings. Water service has been restored, but a boil water advisory has been issued for our area. All 11 of the schools in our district will be open tomorrow, Thursday, October 31, but we ask all parents to please send their children to school with bottled water to drink during the school day. Water fountains will be closed during the day tomorrow." - Bridgewater Raritan Regional School District

Water Main Break

The water main break was reported around 6:30 a.m. on Route 206 in front of Sarah Jane’s Restaurant in Somerville, according to Somerville Fire Department.

"Shutdown was quicker this time than last year's break. The system is recovering already. Most residents have some service restored. They do not expect service to get worse, if your water is back on now, it should remain. The overall time to fix the main is still undetermined," said Raritan Mayor Nick Carra to Patch.

A New Jersey American Water contractor is on-site to make repairs.

Carra noted that NJ American Water did build a new bypass "after last year's break so that is why the recovery is better than last year. A new main will be built in Q1 of next year. Once completed, the main that broke twice will be taken offline to be studied and ultimately replaced."

Currently, the break is isolated, the system is repressurized and water tanks are being refilled.

Customers may experience low-pressure, or discolored water, said New Jersey American Water.

The Bridgewater Office of Emergency Management sent out an alert that they are actively monitoring the situation and have been in contact with NJ American Water. If your residence is without water, contact OEM@bridgewaternj.gov.

A major water main break was previously reported in the same area impacting around 30,000 customers in Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Raritan Borough, and Somerville at the end of June into early July in 2023.

Closures

All schools in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District were closed on Wednesday due to a water main break on Route 206. Updates will be provided by the school district later in the day on Wednesday.

All Somerville Schools, Somerville Borough Hall and the Somerville library were closed as well.

Raritan Borough was also closed on Wednesday as a result of the water main break.

Route 206

Route 206 was shut down in both directions due to the break and disrupted travel on Wednesday.

"Avoid Route 206 in Raritan from Somerset Street to Dukes Parkway in Hillsborough. All lanes are closed northbound and southbound," said Somerset County Public Safety on Wednesday morning.

Manville Police reported heavy traffic diverted onto Dukes Parkway into Manville.

Drivers were asked to plan an alternate route to alleviate congestion on Dukes Parkway to South Main Street.

Hillsborough Police announced around 9:30 a.m. that Route 206 North at Dukes Parkway East was estimated to close for 3 to 5 days because of a water main break.

Traffic traveling north is being diverted East onto Dukes Parkway East. Route 206 southbound traffic is not affected by this closure and flowing normally, said Hillsborough Police.

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